COLUMBUS -- Ohio State coach Jim Tressel wasn't exactly apologetic on Tuesday when asked about the comments made by Eastern Michigan coach Ron English after Tressel's Buckeyes demolished English's Eagles, 73-20, last Saturday.

English sounded as if he was offended that Ohio State tacked on three fourth-quarter touchdowns to extend its 52-20 lead at the end of three quarters.

"I felt like Jim felt that we were still throwing it, so he was going to keep scoring," English said, though he did add, "In this profession, my thing is, you've got to stop them. Yeah, he kept throwing. He throws the throwback to the quarterback and all that stuff, but we were trying to score, too. I'm never going to whine about that."

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Tressel did say it "unfortunately unfolded that way," when Joe Bauserman passed to Jordan Hall for a touchdown, Jaamal Berry ran for 67 yards and Kenny Guiton ran for 15 yards for fourth-quarter scores long after the game had been decided. Those three scores came after Hall threw to Terrelle Pryor for a 52-20 lead after three quarters.

Tressel explained Saturday was an opportunity for Bauserman to get in some throws and for his coaching staff to make some other decisions on the reserves. He did grant that the Buckeyes probably would have gotten more out of a nine-play drive rather than a 67-yard touchdown run from Berry.

"To me, it would be more insulting to take a knee at that point in time," Tressel said. ""Do I like the fact that the score ended up what it did? No. Am I disappointed that we let our second- and third-team guys go in there and try? No. I mean, that's what they're allowed to do."

Injury update

The Buckeyes should be a little closer to 100 percent from a health standpoint on Saturday.

Tressel said defensive back Travis Howard and linebacker Dorian Bell should be back in action against Illinois. Both sat out the Eastern Michigan game. Defensive back Chimdi Chekwa, who missed portions of last Saturday's game with back spasms, is also ready to go. Safety Nate Oliver has a hamstring issue and is still a question mark.

Tight end Jake Stoneburner, who rolled his left ankle early in the EMU game and did not return, might be the most iffy of those coming off injuries. Tressel said he would know more later in the week on Stoneburner's availability.

Starting at cornerback for the Illini is sophomore Justin Green, a former OSU verbal commit who changed his mind and opted to sign with Illinois.

Tressel shrugged his shoulders went talking about one that got away. The Buckeyes were recruiting Green (5-11, 195) as a cornerback, but one of the reported problems with his recruiting is he wanted to play offense.

"It's sort of not fair, is it?" Tressel said with a grin. "He's supposed to be playing corner for us. He's a great kid. What are you going to do? You make decisions and handle the adversity and deal with what comes your way and that's obviously what he's doing and he's got great speed out there."

Familiar face II

Former Mayfield standout Ashante Williams is listed on Illinois' two-deep chart at Sam linebacker. The 5-foot-10, 205-pound sophomore has 10 tackles (five solo, five assists) in three games, including a career-best five stops in a Week 2 win over Southern Illinois.

Illibuck on the line

The Illibuck Trophy is on the line this week, not that many players know exactly what that is.

The trophy is a wooden replica of a turtle. The tradition started in 1925 and is the second oldest trophy exchanged in the Big Ten behind the Little Brown Jug, which goes to the winner of the Minnesota and Michigan game.

Kicker Devin Barclay the team had a presentation explaining what the Illibuck was.

"I know it's one of the 10 most obscure trophies in college sports, I can tell you that," he said. "I can tell you it's been around since... the 1920s? But that's pretty much it."

When asked if securing the trophy was a big deal to his team, Barclay said, "No comment," then added, "I don't think it crosses many people's minds."